News in brief

Animal rescue to host two holiday events

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will sponsor its Home for the Holidays event Nov. 21 through Dec. 31 to enable people to adopt dogs and cats from the Haywood County Animal Services at a reduced rate.

The organization will pay a portion of the adoption fee so dogs during this time will be available for $60; while male cats can be adopted for $28 and females for $38. The fee includes the cost of spay or neuter and a rabies vaccination. The Haywood County Animal Shelter is located at 245 Hemlock Street in Waynesville.

Also, Dec. 2 through Dec. 24, Sarge’s volunteers will be wrapping holiday gifts at Mast General Store in downtown. There is no charge for the complimentary wrapping but a donation to Sarge’s is requested.

Harrah’s HEROs help Habitat for Humanity

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort’s HERO (Harrah’s Employee’s Reaching Out) program enlisted volunteers to help Haywood County’s Habitat for Humanity put the finishing touches on a home for a local family.

Resort workers helped with finishing details such as painting, caulking and cleaning to have the home ready for move-in day.

“It was very rewarding knowing that the Habitat staff of volunteers really appreciated our contribution as the house would not have been ready for the opening ceremony without our assistance. Our team of HERO volunteers were amazing and pitched in to conquer the tasks assigned without hesitation and did an excellent job,” said Lumpy Lambert, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort’s Assistant General Manager.

Haywood Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing for its community and committed to helping needy families realize their dream of home ownership.

Free military funeral honors in Haywood

The Haywood County Honor Guard offers free military funeral honors for deceased veterans, if requested by the family. As a minimum, military honors include the folding and presenting of the U.S. Flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps.

The local Honor Guard is comprised of volunteers from Waynesville VFW Post 5202 and American Legion Post 47.

Any family wanting military honors in Haywood County should make the request through the funeral home. If a funeral home is not involved, then the family can make a request through the post.

828.456.9346.

Get a job at the job fair

Haywood Community College’s CareerWorks program is hosting two days of activities at the West Waynesville campus Nov. 14 and 15, in celebration of National Career Development Day.

Nov. 14 there will be forums with local employers, and job-seekers can ask questions and receive help applying for jobs. There will be two sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 15, there will be a networking event from 10 a.m. to noon, and a chance to practice interviewing skills during mock interviews from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

828.564.5093.

Economic summit in Asheville

The AdvantageWest Economic Summit will be taking place Monday, Nov. 19 in Asheville. The event will include several panelists speaking about various business topics, from business innovation to regulation to infrastructure.

The event will start with at networking reception at 5:30 p.m., at the Pack Place & Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. The program and panel discussion will start at 7 p.m. Registration is $50 and includes hors d’oeuvres, beverages and admission to the panel discussion.

AdvantageWest is the regional economic development, public-private partnership serving the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina.

Highlands town square design wins top award

The Town of Highlands and Lupoli Construction have won a top award from the state for Highlands town square renovation and revitalization project. The N.C. Main Street Program has recognized Lupoli’s town square project for its design and will officially honor the work on Jan. 31 at its annual conference in Salisbury.

The new town square in Highlands features more than 21,500 square feet of retail, office, and restaurant space, in addition to a courtyard area and public restrooms. It has already become the popular site of the Friday Night Concerts.

“We are very proud of this addition to Highlands’ Main Street,” said Town Planner David Clabo. “And we are pleased that the judges recognize the investment and design improvements to our town’s business district and have bestowed this Award of Merit on Lupoli.”

Final round of GroWNC community meetings

The GroWNC Consortium will host a final series of community meetings in the region to gather community input and provide an update on the progress of local development initiatives. The meeting in Haywood County will be Nov. 29 from 1-3 p.m. and 4-6 p.m at the USDA Center.

Community members are invited to evaluate scenarios that can shape the future of the region. The GroWNC initiative focuses on growth and economic development in the five regional counties.

Workgroups have been collaborating since January to develop goals, recommendations, and initial findings focused on these core study areas: housing, transportation, land use, economic development, natural resources, cultural resources, energy, and public health.

SCC to train students for work at casino

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is partnering with Southwestern Community College to offer hands-on technical training and education for dealing live games.

In August 2012, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians began to offer live gaming, including Black Jack, Craps, Roulette and other games, at their 200,000 square-foot casino in Cherokee.

To accommodate, the casino hired approximately 500 people, though many recruits from the surrounding area were new to the gaming industry, spurring a need for training.

“This is a truly win-win situation. The college is very pleased to serve as a link between the members of the community, who are seeking employment, and the employers seeking qualified applicants,” said Sonja Haynes, Southwestern Community College’s Dean of Workforce and Economic Development.